Silver Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota71 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Silver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 47 ft max depth
- Public access
Silver Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 85 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 39.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 70.84 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2024 caught 4.00 walleye per gill net at Silver Lake. DNR survey details →
Silver Lake is a 71-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 47 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, Silver Lake ranks #41 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Silver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 12
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Silver Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Silver Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Silver Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Silver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 85 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 39.8 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 85µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 39.8µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Silver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2024 caught 4.00 walleye per gill net at Silver Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Silver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-10 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2024-07-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 45.70 | 4–6 in 2024-07-10 | 0.26 lb |
| Black Crappie | 31.12 | 7–9 in 2024-07-10 | 0.17 lb |
| Bluegill | 26.61 | 3–9 in 2024-07-10 | 0.13 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 24.79 | 5–10 in 2024-07-10 | 0.12 lb |
| Common Carp | 9.65 | 4–8 in 2024-07-10 | 2.61 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.94 | 22 in 2024-07-10 | 3.73 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-07-10 survey
Silver Lake (West) is a 71-acre (62.5 littoral acres), class 38 lake located within the Village of St. Anthony and the City of Columbia Heights. The lake is currently managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program. The City of Columbia Heights operates a small swimming beach in the northwest corner and a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Silver Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SilverFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SilverFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SilverPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Surface area
71 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
88%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Silver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Silver Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Silver Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Silver Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Silver Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.77 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+4.99 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 12
Earliest Mar 15, 2016 · Latest Apr 30, 2018
Typical ice-in
Dec 3
Earliest Dec 1, 2006 · Latest Dec 3, 2008
Most recent ice-out
Mar 28
2020
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Silver Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN62-0083-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County
Frequently asked questions about Silver Lake
Where is Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake is a lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 85 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 39.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 70.84 acres.
Is Silver Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Silver Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet. The lake covers 70.84 acres.
What fish are in Silver Lake?
- Fish species found in Silver Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Silver Lake is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Silver Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2024 caught 4.00 walleye per gill net at Silver Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Silver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Silver Lake thaw?
- Silver Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 12. Ice typically forms around Dec 3. The open water season is approximately 235 days.
Can I fish at Silver Lake?
- Public access to Silver Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Silver Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
408 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA408 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate